HELP with kitchen design please please please!

[GrumpyMcGrumpFace]

Hi, I'm in the lucky position of being able to put a new kitchen in our house, and the space is massive. But (there is always a but!) it's quite a dark kitchen and north facing. The current trend for grey and dark colours would look funereal at breakfast time, I think.... but equally a very white kitchen in the cold north light would be a bit hospital.

I just cannot find a picture of a kitchen that makes me think "oh yes, I'd love that" - even taking no account of price! If you have any links to pics that might inspire I would be very grateful.

I'm not a fan of shaker, I'd really like slab if I can manage it without looking too antiseptic.... I like colour.

TIA ever so!

I have plain white quartz and it is gorgeous. If it does stain, there is a paste that the worktop company provided which removes it. Also Bar Keepers Friend is great on it. I also had a white glass splash back and I got a matching glass chopping board for free, and that sits by the hob for anything messy. I have pale grey cupboards and have warmed the room up with wood flooring, copper accessories abc brightly coloured ceramic pots etc. And lots of lighting options.

By the way the kitchen I've had made can be re sprayed at a cost of about £2000 so if I sell the house I don't have to worry about the new owners liking it ( take £2k off the price job done ) and if I fancy a change I can do it easily for the price of a good decorator .

what about something like this?
spot lighting in the kickboard/under the top cabinets and some big round mirrors to bounce the light around?
a nice light natural floor, neutral colours

I think white would be fine as long as you have a Warner colour on the wales and accessories. Our last kitchen was white units with sage walls and a browny beige tile (hard to explain the colour but it went beautifully!) and wood laminate flooding. Also had an oak worktop. Not cold or clinical at all.

(Sorry about the mess) we've got the really pale grey, which I think looks quite fresh.

I actually have white walls in my white and pale grey kitchen but I have lots and lots of art on the walls. Means I can swap stuff out and change accent colours if I want.

And I also have display shelves with cook books and colourful bits and bobs like candles and vases.

@imamearcat your kitchen is gorgeous!

We have similar colours to @imamearcat (including the IKEA step stool ) but our floor is a bit darker (pecan oak). Having tried loads of warming colours over the years with minimal success, this is the best combination for our large, north facing kitchen with west facing windows.

www.interiordesire.net/interior-design/how-to-brighten-up-your-kitchen-this-winter/ has some good ideas. Personally I have gone for Apple White (looks better irl versus pictures, have loads of plants that compliment the colour) which is working well in our large north facing kitchen. Was also looked at Nordic Spa which is a light reflecting colour though more green. Both colours work well with dark/light coloured cabinets and well as counter tops. Was also worried about white and grey as it was either too cold or too dark.

@Myimaginarycathasfleas the kids love the Ikea step!😂 this is the second one, I stole the first one as a mounting block for the horse!😂😂 gotta love ikea.

I love this colour scheme - we're doing our north facing kitchen soon, and this is top of my list. You can use lighter colours but just need an accent somewhere in the room to lift it.

Blush pink or a sunny yellow

Pink ideas Pinterest link

Yellow kitchen ideas Pinterest link

Have a look at George Clarke Old House New Home this series - they did a kitchen with a plaster coloured island (like a really pale but warm pink) which I thought was lovely.

We tried a very pale terracotta. It became known in our house as Germolene pink. Not our best choice 🙁

Oh some lovely ones on here. I had an independent designer do mine . ( then we shopped around ) I've posted about her before as she's so bloomin clever . Years and years of experience. Found her on Houzz . Karen from OnePlan. Highly highly highly recommend her.

You should consider hiring a lighting designer. Obviously this depends on budget but getting the lighting correct will make an enormous difference

I'm currently planning an Ikea kitchen with Plykea fenix fronts, and thought I was set on green but have just had this sample through and think I am in love.
www.idsurfaces.co.uk/laminate-and-compact/fenix-ntm/fenix-ntm/rosso-jaipur/

Love it MsRinky. Would also reconsider green with that one.

We have a north facing kitchen and chose stone colour for cabinets with gloss finish to reflect as much light as possible. Introduced colour with natural coloured tiles and porcelain stone coloured tiles on the floor ( not great with a black Labrador but it means I clean the floor daily). It transformed the room.
I hate the grey craze at the moment. It looks like undercoat both in houses and on cars. An all white kitchen using glass splash backs to add colour and designer lighting is timeless and much more sellable in the future when grey goes out of fashion.
You could also add colour with a big colourful Arga if your budget stretches that far.

Look, it has to be something you really love. It doesn’t matter what is fashionable, unless you’re planning to sell for a profit. What do you love? What will you enjoy seeing/using everyday?

Sorry, I had to laugh at germolene pink 😂 It’s tricky, isn’t it?

@nonsenceagain I like colour. We have a lot of burgundy and dark green in the house (cream woodwork, where it’s not wood panelling). I like natural colours.

I thought I was going to want green / sand/ cream, because that works really well in our conservatory that adjoins the kitchen, but it makes such a huge difference that it’s south facing and sunny. I’m glad I’ve had the samples to see that.

@willdoitinaminute I feel the same about grey. I’m not one for fashion, anyway, but I don’t like the battleship look! Some do look ok when they’re well done, but it just isn’t me at all. Are you happy with your kitchen now? It does sound a lot like our current plans. If there’s anything you’d do differently now, I’d be very interested! I don’t have a black lab (sadly, we did once. Soppiest dog known to man, she was!)